Wolves, Warriors and Wellness: How Recreation Therapy Helps Heal Veterans

Rolling hills are the backdrop, and the sky is blue and clear. Other than the howling of wolves and chirping of birds, silence abounds. The 20-acre property, located in Frazier Park, Calif., is a far cry from the commotion of Los Angeles.

“It just seems really therapeutic,” Marine Corps Veteran Jared “Red” Velasco said of his time at the sanctuary. At LARC, as part of Greater LA VA’s Recreation Therapy programming, Veterans interact with a bevy of rescued animals to facilitate their healing journeys.

Led by Certified Recreation Therapist and Army Veteran Stephanie Simon, this group hails from the West LA VA’s Domiciliary (DOM), a Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MH RRTP).

“I can see a lot of benefit, especially for people coming from the DOM where we are, coming to a place like this and being able to stay sober,” Velasco said. As part of Recreation Therapy Velasco has also participated in hang gliding, golf meditation, archery and soon: deep sea fishing.

What Is Recreation Therapy?

Recreation Therapy is an Allied Health discipline made up of recreation therapist who are rehab therapy professionals. Allied Health professionals work within clinical teams to enhance a Veteran's overall quality of life, optimal functionality and independence by utilizing an array of engaging (and often exciting!) experiential therapies.

Recreation Therapy programs are structured according to the five domains of life: cognitive, physical, emotional, social and spiritual, utilizing evidence-based practices grounded in cognitive behavioral therapies.

Art, sports, music, and other forms of therapeutic use of recreation and leisure bring color to the human experience and for many people give life its richness, depth and meaning. Across Greater LA VA, Recreation Therapy helps Veterans utilize these enjoyable and rewarding experiences as a key part of the healing process.  

These therapy sessions run the gamut and include pet therapy, aquatic therapy, art therapy, adaptive sports and national games and festivals, among many others. Because these are fun experiences, tailored to the Veteran’s unique preferences, they can serve as a bridge or buy-in to other aspects of clinical treatment.

For example, if a Veteran participates in music appreciation and enjoys the benefits, they may be more likely to agree to their doctor’s other recommendations and actively participate in care.

Recreation therapists treat Veterans across the full spectrum of abilities and functionalities, from moms on temporary bed rest to individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). They work in community living centers, poly trauma, mental health, domiciliary, acute rehab, adult day programs, hospice, dementia care and community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) at GLA.

Where Joy Meets Functionality

“We’re in the business of helping people to reclaim their lifestyles,” Greater LA VA Recreational Therapies Section supervisor Myisha Jones said. Jones has been in the field for two decades, treating Veterans in acute inpatient, outpatient clinic, correctional and community settings.

When observing the benefits of Recreation Therapy, Jones noted, “It brought joy but also functionality to patients without them feeling like it required surgery or a pill.”

“We tend to focus a lot on stress reduction and self-esteem and conflict resolution,” Jones said. Healthy habits and lifestyle choices are also emphasized.   

Recreation Therapy has been shown to minimize crisis and suicidal behaviors, reduce recidivism and acts of aggression, enhance self-esteem and generally help military populations improve resilience and better adapt to civilian life.   

Wolves and Warriors

Back at LARC, Navy Veteran and foreman Stan McDonald (who lives on site and has been working there for 15 years) explains why being with the animals is so therapeutic.

“You’re helping an animal that’s been in a bad situation without realizing you’ve been in just as bad of one,” McDonald said. He used to struggle with alcohol addiction and is an alumnus of West LA VA’s New Directions for Veterans, a transitional housing program. LARC is a recovery space and free from all drugs and alcohol.

Only Veterans (and first responders) are allowed at LARC. For their safety, Veteran visitors interact with the animals only through enclosures. Those who wish to volunteer receive additional training to work more closely with some of the animals. Safety is a top priority.

Over time, the volunteers and employees form bonds with the individual animals, including wolves, wolfdogs, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, horses, parrots and a pig. “You earn trust from one of these guys, it’s a whole different story, then you learn how to trust again,” McDonald said.

When asked by one of the Veteran visitors which animal is his favorite, McDonald replies: “There’s no favorite animal on this property to me cause they’re all involved in my sobriety.”

(LARC is a VA-approved location for Recreation Therapy, but readers should not interact with wild animals on their own.)

Music and So Much More

One of the benefits of Recreation Therapy is that it comes in countless forms and can be adapted to any level of functionality or need.

On a Tuesday afternoon at the Community Living Center (CLC) (also known as the VA Nursing Home) on the West LA VA campus, certified therapeutic recreation specialist Raylene Armour sets the stage for a monthly music appreciation class.

The theme for the group is misheard lyrics; Armour plays clips of different songs and quizzes the Veteran residents on what the lyrics sound like versus what they actually say.

Participants, all of whom are in wheelchairs, sing along to some of the tunes. Some even tap their feet to the works of Elvis, Abba and NSYNC. As Armour tells the participants, music can help regulate mood, relieve depression and anxiety, and improve sleep.

“The class was fun, I really enjoyed it,” Army Veteran Darrell Langford said at the end of the session. “It made me use my mind to think back; it brought back memories.”

The CLC Recreation Therapy calendar is packed with other programming including pet therapy (with a sweet standard poodle named Bella), Friday fitness including ping pong and bowling, bingo, birthday socials, guided meditations and much more.

“We provide intervention activities that not only help our Veterans achieve their functional goals, but are also enjoyable and meaningful to them,” Armour said. Armour started as a VA volunteer when she was still a student; it was then that she found her passion for working with an older population.

Adaptive Activities Includes Every Veteran

The VA’s Recreation Therapy division is the largest program of its kind under one administration in the Western Hemisphere.

Everything is adapted to what the individual Veteran is able to do, whether it’s by the bedside or on the ski slopes.

GLA recreation therapists Brenna Partridge, Claudia Ramirez, Patrick Gregorio and 11 Veterans from GLA recently attended the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Snowmass, Colo. There, Veterans received ski or snowboarding lessons and participated in different sports including sled hockey, curling, snowmobiling, fly fishing, rock climbing, kayaking, scuba diving, social events and educational groups.

As Veterans are discharged from some of VA’s more structured programs, the goal is for them to utilize the executive functioning skills they’ve learned from Recreation Therapy so they can stay out of more acute environments – as well as live “happier, healthier and more vibrant lifestyles,” Jones said.

Recreation therapists often work with patients for many years, and even through the end of life. The experience can be transformative.

“Our day-to-day work in seeing milestones and Veterans improving their lifestyle and their health, that’s the highlight for me,” Jones said.

Seeking Recreational Therapies? Ask your primary provider for a Recreation Therapy consult. Greater LA VA also hosts Recreation Therapy Lobby Days every second Tuesday of the month in Building 500 (West LA VA Medical Center) and Building 200 (Sepulveda VA Ambulatory Care Center) at noon.